Omanghana
Ghanaian businessman Ben Nunoo Mensah has been identified as the local entrepreneur behind the Barari DV lithium concession linked to the development of the Ewoyaa Lithium Project in Ghana. Nunoo Mensah, who also serves as president of the Ghana Olympic Committee, holds a minority ownership stake in the project that is expected to become the country’s first major lithium mine.
Reports indicate that Nunoo Mensah retains a 10 percent stake in the Barari DV lithium concession. Earlier disclosures in 2023 also listed him as the beneficial owner of approximately 4.4 percent of the local subsidiary involved in the project.
The origins of the concession date back more than a decade. In 2011, Nunoo Mensah initially secured the concession area for gold exploration. Subsequent geological assessments later revealed the presence of significant lithium deposits, prompting a shift in focus toward the development of lithium resources instead of gold.
To advance exploration and technical studies, Nunoo Mensah entered into a strategic partnership with Australian investors in 2016. The collaboration eventually evolved into the involvement of Atlantic Lithium, which carried out a scoping study to assess the project’s commercial viability. As part of the partnership arrangement, Nunoo Mensah sold 90 percent of his original interest to the investors while retaining a 10 percent stake in the concession.
The project reached a major milestone in March 2026 when the Parliament of Ghana ratified a 15-year mining lease agreement with Barari DV Ghana Limited for the development of the Ewoyaa Lithium Project.
The approved agreement includes provisions aimed at increasing national participation and ensuring that local communities benefit from the project. Under the terms of the lease, the government of Ghana will hold a 12 percent free carried interest in the project. In addition, the company will be required to allocate one percent of its annual revenue to a community development fund to support local infrastructure and social programs.
The agreement also contains plans to establish a lithium refinery within Ghana to promote value addition and reduce reliance on exporting raw materials. The Ewoyaa project is widely viewed as a key component of Ghana’s strategy to diversify its mining sector and position the country as a participant in the rapidly growing global electric vehicle battery supply chain.
Source: Omanghana
